A New Hope
by Aster
Summary: What would happen if Phoebe Green resurfaced?


December 31, 2000

5:50pm

Working diligently all day, Scully was more than ready to go home and lounge around, even though it was New Year's Eve. With hope, she glanced at her Timex wrist watch and sighed at the time it showed her. To her right, she glanced at Mulder, with his feet propped on his desk. He was so engrossed in his sunflower seeds and the file he was reading, he didn't even notice Scully's cell phone ring. Dana retrieved her phone from her coat pocket and answered it "Scully...Oh, hello." She paused to listen to the entity on the other end, while Mulder finally looked up curiously and tried to catch Scully's gaze. "No...seriously. That's great! Sure...when? Okay...just let me know." Dana ended the call. 

"Who was it?"

"My brother-"

"The one that hates me?"

"No, actually, my younger one...Charles."

"What did he want?"

"He just wants to get together sometime. I haven't seen or talked to him in years." Mulder only nodded and began to read again.

They sat in complete silence until seven rolled around.

"Scully?"

Dana stopped typing on her laptop and stared at Mulder, waiting.

"What do you say we call it a day...erm, night?"

Scully closed her computer, stood and smiled. "Sounds great."

"Um...what are you doing for New Year's, Scully?" 

"Actually, I'm going over to my mothers. You?"

"Funny as it may sound, the Lone Gunmen are throwing a party." 

After Mulder walked Scully to her car, they parted their ways, once again, for a New Year's spent apart.

Scully's Apartment

7:58pm

Dana sat on her couch in sweats and a tight blue T-shirt, when the phone rang. "Hello? Hi Mom. Well, getting ready for a party at the bureau. Yeah, I'll call you later. Thanks for calling." She hung up the phone and buried her hands in her face. Self-pity wasn't usually her thing, but on holidays, the fact that she was alone just got to her. _Mulder is probably having the time of his life. Out with a beautiful, intelligent woman, not even giving me a slight thought...the annoying partner. _She sighed heavily. It wasn't so much that Mulder wasn't with her, but the fact that he of all people actually had somewhere to go on New Year's was depressing. Dana earlier suspected it would be the other way around. _She wasn't invited to a single party._ She felt she should have told Mulder she had nothing to do, but then it would have made him think she had no life...in which case it was true. At least Mulder had had past lovers; Phoebe Green, Diana Fowley, and even Detective White for a short while. _I need to stop sulking...this is sick. _Deciding right away she'd go have fun of her own, Scully jumped off the beige couch and walked to her bedroom to find something dazzling to wear.

~~~~~~Lone Gunmen Headquarters~~~~~

Mulder rapped on the steel door enough times to make his knuckles bleed, until finally, Frohike opened the door and let him inside. "Where's drop-dead red?" Frohike said playfully, raising an eyebrow. 

"She's at her mother's."

"What do you have planned tonight, Mulder?" Byers, and the other two geeks knew exactly what Mulder was going to be doing, despite what he said; they knew him too well.

"Actually, I was invited to an old friend's party. And I know what you guys are thinking. You can see the invitation if you want."

Langly leaned toward Byers and whispered, "Wow, he's even made up an invitation."

Mulder pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his coat pocket.

~~~~~Scully's Apartment~~~~~~~~

After going through her whole entire wardrobe, mostly consisting of work cloths, Scully pulled out an elegant dress and held it up against her body. The phone rang again. "Hello? Tonight? What's wrong Mom? No, really, if you want me to come home...Why don't you meet me at the party?" _What did I just say? What am I thinking, there is no party._ Luckily, her mother declined and hung up. She again inspected the dress she held in her hands. It was dark, but soft blue, complementing her eyes; with a V neck and a low back. 

After putting the dress on, which flowed gently down to the ground, she slipped into a pair of high heels. Scully fixed her hair so that it was pulled up in a twist, with curly red tendrils framing her exquisite face. 

~~~~~~Mulder's Apartment~~~~~~~

Changing into a black tux, Mulder was contently humming; no song in particular. He actually had somewhere to go, and was happy that Scully was enjoying herself also. Step- siding to his coffee table, Mulder picked up the crumpled invitation, read the location of the party to himself and headed for the parking lot.

~~~~Downtown Washinton D.C.~~~~9:45~~~~~~

Scully drove around town, until she spotted almost a block of shops and hotels that were holding parties. She parked on the side of the road, along with hundreds of other cars. Throwing on a sloppy grin, and acting like she had somewhere to go, she headed toward the bustle of people.

~~~~SteinGold Hotel~~~~~

Walking through the hotel's entrance, Mulder could immediatley tell he was invited to an elegant party, for the lobby, itself, was fit for a king. Familar face, there were none, but Mulder thought _what have I got to lose?_

~~~~Streets of Washington D.C.~~~~~

Though by herself, Dana was having a better time that she anticipated; she talked to several ladies, whom she recognized from years ago, and sampled wine from various shops, while chatting with the owners. Walking now towards the row of hotels, Scully was determined to be admitted to one of them; most parties required an invitation.

~~~~~SteinGold Hotel~~~~~~

After walking around in circles for a while, Mulder retrieted to a row of comfy chairs in the back of the lobby and slumped in the chair. _Where was the hostess? _He stared down at the floor, until a pair of femine feet in high heels appeared in his line of view. Mulder glanced up. He was greeted by a women with short red hair, and a British accent. Mulder grinned boyishly at the woman in a short, white dress, then hugged her tightly. He planted a light kiss on her cheek.

Smiling happily, Mulder said, "Nice to see you again Phoebe."

"So, you found it okay?"

Mulder replied, "Just fine. Thanks for inviting me, despite what happened last time we saw each other."

"What's past is past. Would you like to dance Fox?" 

~~~~~Streets of Washinton D.C.~~~~~~

Even though Dana was being rejected by all the hotels she tried to enter, her determination to have fun rose everytime. She came to one of the last nice hotels on the block; the doors were wide open, with no one guarding them. _Time to make your move. _Dana told herself. The lobby was gorgeous, and she was taken aback by the glass chandlers that hung from the ceiling. Now that she was in a hotel, she wasn't going to leave until well after New Year's. A large grandfather clock in the very back of the room showed 10:15pm 

Mulder and Phoebe Green moved slowly and gracefully with the music, keeping their eyes on one another; seeming like they were in their own world.

From across the room, Scully spotted a tall, lanky, handsome man in a tux dancing with a tall, skinny red head. _Who is that?_ Dana stepped a little closer as the song started coming to a close. Over Phoebe's shoulder, Mulder glanced around the crowd, and noticed someone who stood out; a short, skinny woman with firey red hair, and in a beautiful blue dress. The end of the song made Mulder and Phoebe part, but not long, for, Phoebe kissed Mulder passionately on the lips for several moments; he kissed her back, not even processing the characteristics of the person he just saw.

Dana was watching this from the other side of the room; astonished by what she was witnessing. _Is that...it can't be...Phoebe Green._ Only taking another quick glance at the two, but not before Mulder caught her eye, Scully turned toward the doors. Even though they were nothing more than friends, her heart was shattered like glass into a million pieces. She felt betrayed. After all, didn't he say to her once, _"Scully, you are my one in five billion." _This scene played in her head over and over, until she couldn't take it anymore. Instead of crying, she felt angry...angry at him for not telling her what he actually was going to do that evening. He was avoiding her to be with Phoebe. 

~~~~~~

Mulder sadly noticed her change in posture after seeing them, even though they were yards away. She stumbled out the door into the chilly, winter night; alone. Forgetting Phoebe for the moment, he let go of her, and jogged out of the hotel, with Phoebe's protests growing fainter. In a state of desperation, Mulder quickly searched the hordes of people for Scully, but it was to no avail; she was gone.

Dana slipped gingerly into an open coffee pub, to avoid Mulder. After a moment, she emerged back into the dark of the night, shivering from the cold. Thinking he didn't run or even walk after her made Dana's anger increase. She gathered herself and walked down the street to where her car was parked, and got in; she sat staring the hotel she just exited. Mulder was nowhere in sight. 

Mulder ran frantically back into the hotel and grabbed his coat off the rack, but was caught by the arm. Phoebe's face was filled with concern, and her eyes told him to stay. He easily pulled free from her grasp and ran down the street toward his gray Taurus. 

~~~~~~Scully's Apartment~~~~~~10:35pm~~~~~~~~~

After arriving at her apartment, Scully tossed her keys and purse violently toward the coffee table, but missed. In the same fit of anger and rage, she tore off her dress, tossed it on the bed and pulled on her pair of sweats and T-Shirt she had been wearing earlier. Dana walked out of her bedroom and headed toward the kitchen to grab a bucket of icecream out of the freezer.

~~~~~Somewhere in Washington D.C.~~~~~~~10:56pm~~~~~~

By now, he had searched everywhere he could think of, until something hit him. Mulder hit his head with the palm of his hand and thought of one last place to look. Though, if he did not find her there, he would not give up...she had never once given up on him.

~~~~~Scully's Apartment~~~~11:11pm~~~~~

Dana continued to munch on her snack, when the phone rang; it was the local hospital. 

~~~~~Saint James Hospital~~~~11:46pm~~~~~

To get here as quick as she could, Scully had ran a stop sign, changed lanes without signaling, sped, followed too closely and almost ran over a pedestrian. Once she entered, Dana jogged toward the nearest Nurses' Station, and demanded to know where Fox Mulder's room was. 

"Ma'am," said the nurse, whose name tag read 'Joy,' "You'll have to calm down, until I get the information you're looking for." The nurse slowly shuffled through some files.

Dana tapped her foot for about two seconds until she couldn't take the nurse's slower-than-snail pace. "Excuse me!" Dana boomed, "_Joy_, I need to know where Fox-"

An old man came up behind Scully and interrupted her, "Can I help you?"

"Maybe," Dana sneered, "Who are you?" She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head, so the old man could see her level of annoyance.

"I am Scott Adams, Fox Mulder's surgeon-"

Dana spoke a mile a minute, "Is he okay? What happened? When did he get here? Can I see him? What's wrong? Where is he?"

Adams held up his hands in a surrender fashion, "I'll tell you everything you want to know, but-"

"But?"

"But, I need to know who you are."

"Oh, I'm Dana Scully," She flashed her badge, "I'm his partner."

Adams nodded and spoke in a soft tone, "Fox Mulder came in not thirty minutes ago, with head trama and a sprained arm-"

"Due to what?" Dana gaped at the doctor standing directly in front of her.

"He was in a car crash, Miss Scully."

Her loud gasp was enough for the doctor to continue.

"But...he'll fully recover. I'll show you to his room, but I'm not sure if he's conscious yet."

Scott led her down several halls until they came upon room number thirty three, and he pointed to the door.

"Thanks," Dana smiled weakly at Adams as she quietly opened the door to Mulder's room. After shutting the door, she went over to his bed, sat on the edge, and took his hand in hers. Mulder's face was expressionless, but nonetheless admirable and comely. Dana stroke his hair several mintues, until he stirred. Feeling embarrased at her actions, Scully released his hand, and quickly took a seat in a soft purple chair near his bed. Her defensive walls began to rise. Mulder's hazel eyes flickered and opened; they were tired, but seemed to have pain that was trying to be hidden. He smiled weakly and spoke in a sort of raspy voice, "Nice outfit...where are you going in such fancy attire?" 

Dana glanced at her attire; sweats and a T-Shirt; then embarrasingly looked at Mulder.

His face was filled with concern, "Scully...I-I'm sorry that-"

"Mulder...There's absolutely no need to apologize. It's not really my business whether or not you uh...Anyway, I was just disappointed that you lied to me..."

Mulder took a few seconds, deciding how he should respond, then, "The fact remains Scully...you also lied to me."

Dana looked quickly up from her interesting pair of jogging shoes, "I-I forgot that I had...I'm sorry. I guess that I didn't want you thinking..."

Mulder placed one solitary finger upon Scully's lips to silence her, indicating that he understood completely. "Scully...I know how you feel about that...you don't want, need or deserve anyone's pity," he continued without a beat, "You know I would never judge you, and I love you just the way you are..."

Scully blinked several times, nervously, "W-What did you just say?"

"I said that..." Mulder finally caught on to Scully's sudden interest and possibly alarm in the conversation. "Do you mean the part where I told you I loved you?"

Scully could not utter a word, but she nodded her head slowly and smiled beautifully. Her heartbeat doubled and thought that it might be so loud that even Mulder could hear it attempting to escape from her rib cage. 

The beat-up handsome man sat up just enough so that while Scully sat, their faces would be level with one another. "Scully... I meant every single word of it. I'm surprised that you never realized before, because...well, I thought that if I told you of my feelings that things would become awkward between us. And no one that I have ever known is exactly like you...our silences where we can't find any words to say to one another are actually pleasant, and I look forward to them...even opposed to speaking with anyone in the world. Do you remember when I told you you were my-"

"...one in five billion?...touchstone?...." Scully knew each scene by heart, and had no trouble guessing the rest of Mulder's phrase. Tears began streaming down her eyes one by one down her sweet porcelain cheeks, hiding her true emotions.

Mulder was thoroughly confused, since he had not seen Scully cry that often in all the years they had been together. "Why are you crying?"

"I was so afraid that I had lost you, Mulder...t-that you'd be gone from my life forever, and I would not have the opportunity to tell you my feelings..." Her tears changed to laughter quickly, and even surprised herself. "Look at us Mulder, I feel like we're trapped in a soap opera..."

"Like sand through the hourglass..." he offered.

The combination of Mulder's tossled hair and the trademark boyish smile made him literally irrisistable to Scully, and she remembered just how much she needed him. 

"Scully...I'll always be here." The few simple words were just enough between the two of them, meaning more than either could say.

She nodded, and as she did so, a few of her tendrills bounced along, reminding Mulder how much he adored that strangely deep red hair and it's owner. "Mulder?"

All the while, he was watching the reactions of their conversation through her eyes, and could only reply with a "Huh?"

"Nothing will change, will it? I can still come over late at night when I cannot sleep, or when I have another one of my nightmares..."

"Scully...things change, but people don't...we won't. You can always come to me, as I know I can always come to you, even at odd hours of the night," he chuckled at the myriad of times he'd called her in the past to perform an autopsy or to traverse another airport or crime scene. 

The drop-dead red yawned quickly, hoping that Mulder would dismiss it out of hand, but she could fool no one. Mulder moved over in the hospital bed and lifted up the covers, summoning her in. Though he constantly reminds himself of the dreams he has weekly about sleeping with Scully, none of them include actually doing anything beyond cuddling and talking. The petite woman spoke not a word as she complied with Mulder's request to be close to someone. His langly arms enveloped Scully's tiny frame, and the two friends seemed to have been made for one another. The partners took in the the comforting silence between them, and even welcomed it. Scully longed to say one thing, "Mulder? I love you."

Mulder imagined the way Scully's eyes would fill with affections for him, and yet, he needed to say two simple words that he had heard sometime before; he prepared himself to sprinkle his words with sarcasm, "Oh, brother." Their chuckling filled the tiny room, and in the darkness, yet without speaking another word, years of feelings for each other came pouring out, as if floodgates had been opened to allow for water to drown tiny villages beneath. They would deal with their newfound feelings, but slowly. "So, you were jealous, eh?" The old Mulder had finally resurfaced, but Scully realized that this was the Mulder she liked most of all. She needed not to answer, for she knew that it was simply a joke to finish off the night. Scully merely kissed one of Mulder's hands tenderly holding her as a sign that she now wanted them to get some rest. As she sighed, they both closed their eyes and realized that they had attained a new hope...a new beginning...

~~~~~~~


End file.
